Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-10-12


publican, that saved Lydia, that saved the
dying thief, that saved the jailer, that saved
me. But the riches of that grace will not
be fully understood until Heaven breaks in
upon the sonl. An old Scotchman, who
had been soldier in one of the European
wars, was sick and dying in one of our
American hospitals. His one desire was to
see Scotland and his old home, and once
again walk the heather of the Highlands,
and hear the bagpipes of the Scotch regi-
ments. The night that the old Scotch sol.
dier dledh young man, somewhat reckless,
but kindhearted, got company of musici-
ans to come and play under the old soldiers
Windows rand among the instruments there
was bagpipe. The instant that the musi-
clans began the dying old man in delirium
said: whats that. what's that? Why
it's the regiment coming home. That's the
tune. yes, that's the tune. Thank God, 1
have got home once morer' ''Bonny Scot
land and Bonny Doom" were the last words
he uttered as he passed up to the Highlands
of the better country. And there are here
to-day hundreds homesick for heaven, some
because you have so many bereavements,
some because you have so many tempta-
tions, some because you have so many all
ments, homesick, very homesick, for the
fatherland of heaven, and the music that
you want to hear now is the song of free
grace, and the music you want to hear
when you die is free grace. and forever be-
fore the throne of God you will sing of the
'.grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
though he was rich, for your sakes became
poor !'
Yes, yes, for your sakes! 1t was not on
pleasure excursion that He came, for it was
all pain. 1t was not on an astronomical
exploration, for He knew this world as well
before He a.ighted as afterward. 1t was not
because He was compelled to come, for He
volunteered. 1t was not because it was
easy, for He knew that it would be thorn,
and spike, and hunger, and thirst, and voci
feration of angry mobs. For your sakes!
Wipe away your tears. To forgive your
wrong doing, to panionship your lone
illness, to soothe your sorrows, to sit with
you by the new-made grave, to bind up
your wounds in the ugly battle with the
world, and bring you home at last, kindling
up the mists that fall on your dying vision
with the sunlight of a glorious morn. For
your sakes! No, willchange that. Paul
will not care, and Christ will not care if l
change it, for must get into the blessed
ness of the text myself and SO l say: "For
our sakes!" For we all have our tempta-
tions, and bereayements, and conflicts. For
our sakesi We, who deserve for our sins to
be expatriated into a world as much poorer
than this earth was poorer than heaven.
For our sakes! But what a fruitful coming
down to take US gloriously up. When Ar.
taxerxes was hunting, Tirebazus who was
attending him showed the King rent in
his garment. The King said: How shall
mend it?'' sBy giving it to me-" said
Tirebazus. Then the King gave him the
robe, but commanded him never to wear it,
as it would be inappropriate. See the
startling and comforting fact, while our
Prince throws off the habit He not only al
lows us to wear it, but commands us to
wear it, and it will become us well, and for
the poverties of our spiritual state we may
put on the splendors of heavenly regale.
ment. For our sakes o, the personality
of this religionl Not an abstraction, not an
arch under which we walk to behold elabo
rate masonry, not an ice-castle like that
which Empress Elizabeth Of Russia over a
hundred years ago ordered constructed, win
ter with its trowel of crystal cementing the
huge blocks that had been quarried from
the foZen rivers of the North, but fathers
house with vide hearth cracking hearty
welcome. a religion of warmth and inspi.
ration, and light, and cheer-something We
can take into our hearts, and homes, and
business, reoreations, and joys and SORROWS,
Not an unmanageable gift like the galley
presented to Ptolemy, which required four
thousand men to row, and its draught of
water was so great that it could not come
near the shore, but something you can run
up any stream of annoyance, however shall
low. Enrichment now, enrichment forever,
Right about face! for you are going in the
wrong direction. While you are in favor
able mood for it, enter into life. Here and
just now decide everything that makes for
peace and heaven. Agassiz says that he has
stood at one place in the Alps where he
could throw a chip into the water in one di
rection, and it would roll on into the Ger
man Ocean, or he could throw a chip into
the water in another direction, and it would
reach the Black Sea by the Danube, or he
could throw a chip in another direction and
it would enter the Mediterranean by the
Rhone. How far apart the Mediterranean
and the Black Sea and the German Oceapi
Standing to day on this Alps of Gospel priv
ilege, you can project your soul into right |
currents, and it will roll on into the ocean
of life, OR project it in the wrong direction,
and it will roll into the sea of death. But
how far apart the two distances! May God
help US to appreciate more aud more the
momentous meaning of our text! The |
seven wise men of Greece were chefly
known each for one apophthegm; Solon for
the saying: 'Know thyself;" Periauder for
the saying. "Nothing is impossible to indus
try" Chlo for the say ing: '..Censider the
end;' Thales for the saying: ''Suretyship
is the precursor of ruin" And Paul, dis
tinguished for thousand utterances, might
we'll afford to be memorable for the saying:
''You know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for
your sakes became poor, that ys through
His poverty might be rich"